Golden Goblet finds its heroes: Shanghai film festival breaks records with wins for China, Morocco and Belgium
4,100 submissions from 125 countries, 41 world premieres, 83.67% of competition films shown for the first time. Best Feature Film — "Atlantic Rhapsody" (China). Best Director — Yassine El Idrissi for "Halima" (Morocco). Best Actress — Khadija Amari, Best Actor — Zhang Songwen. Grand Jury Prize — "Illuminada" (Belgium). The festival closed on Sunday.
As reported by CCTV+, the Golden Goblet awards ceremony of the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) took place on Saturday evening at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, with winners announced in five competition categories: main competition, Asian New Talent, documentary, animation and short film.
This year, the festival received about 4,100 submissions from 125 countries and regions, setting a new record. Of the 49 films on the final shortlist, 41 were world premieres, accounting for 83.67%, up 6.12% from 2025. Notably, for the first time in the festival's history, both the main competition and documentary sections consisted entirely of world premieres.
In the main competition, the Golden Goblet for Best Feature Film went to "Atlantic Rhapsody" (China). Moroccan director Yassine El Idrissi won Best Director for "Halima", and lead actress Khadija Amari received the Best Actress award for the same film. Chinese actor Zhang Songwen won Best Actor for his role in "Secret in the Box". The Grand Jury Prize went to the Belgian film "Illuminada". The Best Asian New Talent award was given to "Her First Taste" (China).
The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival officially closed on Sunday.
Founded in 1993, SIFF is one of Asia's largest film festivals. In 2026, it set records for submissions and world premieres. The Golden Goblet is one of the most prestigious awards in the region. The victory of Chinese film "Atlantic Rhapsody" and the recognition of a Moroccan director and a Belgian film reflect the festival's growing diversity, open to different cultures and voices.
When a Chinese film takes the top prize, a Moroccan director wins Best Director, and a Belgian film receives the Grand Jury Prize, it is no longer just a festival. It is a dialogue. Shanghai, which gathered 4,100 submissions from 125 countries, became not just a platform for premieres but a crossroads of cultures. And when winners from China, Morocco and Belgium step onto the stage, audiences see not just films. They see a common language in which the world speaks of love, pain, hope and dreams. The Golden Goblet found its heroes. But more importantly, it proved that good cinema knows no borders.
